Use the supplier's facts
Pea gravel, river rock and crushed stone can differ in density, packing and how they are sold. The material selector is a label, not a hidden database of prices or densities.
Measure the job, match the quote
Gravel calculator
Cubic yards = length (ft) × width (ft) × depth (in) ÷ 324. Example only: an 18 × 10 ft area at 4 in needs 60 cu ft, or 2.22 cu yd before allowance.
Start with measured volume. Add your supplier’s loose density for tons, then compare whole bags with a bulk order. Density and prices stay blank until you enter them.
Rectangle + circle + known areaBags versus bulkSupplier rules stay visibleNo login or usage limit
01 Set the quote facts02 Measure each area03 Check the order
Planned volume = measured volume × (1 + allowance ÷ 100) · bulk quantity follows the minimum and increment you enter
Transparent material math
How this gravel calculator works
Calculate volume first; a weight or price is not needed for that answer. Each row can be a rectangle, a circle measured by radius, or a known area, with its own depth and quantity. Completed rows are added before your allowance is applied.
US dimensions use feet with depth in inches. Metric dimensions use metres with depth in centimetres: length × width × depth ÷ 100 gives cubic metres. Switching units clears measurements and density instead of relabelling the same numbers.
A coverage label is not a density: enter the covered area and the depth printed beside it to recover the label-implied volume of one bag. For example, Sakrete All-Purpose Gravel lists 3 sq ft at 2 in; a Sakrete Pea Gravel technical sheet hosted by EZ Mix lists approximately 7 sq ft at 1 in. Both give area with depth, not a loose-density rate. The first implies 0.5 cu ft per bag; the second implies about 0.583 cu ft. The pea sheet also lists an approximate 0.6 cu ft volume: its rounded figures are not interchangeable exact measurements. Prefer the stated bag volume when available and check your own current package. These references explain the input format, not a default for every gravel product.
A ton quote needs one more fact: enter the supplier’s loose density and choose US short tons or metric tonnes. The calculator applies your cubic-yard minimum and increment first, converts that bulk order to the selected weight unit, then multiplies by the per-ton price. The Weight panel still describes planned material; Bulk billing weight describes the purchase. A quote with weight-based minimums or increments needs a matching cubic-yard rule from the supplier; this page does not guess one.
Compare the same material
Enter one bag volume and one bulk price for the same product when you compare the two purchase paths. Delivery or pickup stays separate so your quote remains auditable.
Keep order rules visible
A minimum order and a load increment can change the purchase quantity even when the measured volume does not. Enter those rules exactly as your supplier states them.
From measurement to purchase
One measured area, two purchase quantities
Example only: 18 × 10 ft at a chosen 4 in depth is 60 cu ft. A hypothetical 10% allowance makes it 66 cu ft, or 2.44 cu yd. Neither the depth nor the allowance is an installation recommendation.
Whole bags
At an assumed 0.5 cu ft per bag, 66 ÷ 0.5 gives 132 bags. An illustrative $5 per bag gives $660 for bagged material.
Bulk order
With a hypothetical 3 cu yd minimum and 0.5 cu yd increment, the order is 3 cu yd, not 2.44. At an assumed $90 per cu yd, bulk material is $270; a $40 delivery fee remains a separate line.
Weight is a separate conversion
If the entered loose density is an assumed 95 lb/cu ft, the planned 66 cu ft weighs 6,270 lb: 3.14 US short tons or 2.84 metric tonnes. That weight describes planned volume, not the larger supplier-rounded bulk order.
Using metric measurements? A separate 3 × 2 m area at 5 cm gives 0.3 m³, or 300 L, before allowance. With an assumed 1,000 kg/m³ loose density, its mass is 300 kg, or 0.3 metric tonnes. Bag volume still uses cu ft and bulk orders still use cu yd in this tool.
Pea gravel, river stone, landscape rock or crushed rock? Their measured-volume calculation is the same, but the label does not choose density, compaction or a suitable installation depth. For driveway gravel, calculate each specified layer separately; this tool does not design a driveway base or determine vehicle load capacity.
Common questions
Gravel calculator FAQ
How do I calculate how much gravel I need?
Measure the area, enter the finished depth and apply the allowance that matches your job. The calculator converts the planned volume into cubic feet, cubic yards, cubic metres and liters. For a rectangle, cubic feet = length in feet × width in feet × depth in inches ÷ 12; cubic yards = cubic feet ÷ 27. Example only: 18 ft × 12 ft at 3 in is 54 ft³, or 2 yd³ before allowance. Apply your job's allowance next; supplier minimums and increments affect the order, not the measured volume.
Can I use this for pea gravel, river rock or crushed stone?
Yes. Choose the matching material label and enter the loose density from your supplier. The calculator does not invent a material density.
How do I compare bags and bulk gravel?
Choose either volume per bag or coverage area with its label depth, then enter the bag price. For bulk, choose a price per cubic yard, per US short ton or per metric tonne. Per-ton pricing also needs your supplier’s loose density. Whole bags and the supplier-adjusted bulk order are shown separately; delivery stays on its own line.
What do minimum order and order increment mean?
A minimum is the smallest bulk quantity your supplier will sell. An increment is the loading or delivery step. Enter both only when your quote states them.
How do I convert gravel to tons?
Enter the loose density printed by your supplier. The page uses it to show pounds, short tons and metric tonnes; without density it leaves weight unknown.
Is this also a landscape rock or driveway gravel calculator?
Yes. The same measured-volume workflow can be used for landscape rock, driveway gravel, pea gravel, river rock and crushed stone. Use the material label and supplier facts that match your project.
Do I need to log in or register?
No. This free calculator runs in your browser without login, registration or a usage limit.
How many gravel bags do I need if the label gives coverage in square feet?
Choose Coverage area + label depth and enter both numbers from the same bag. The calculator uses coverage × label depth ÷ 12 to find cubic feet per bag, then divides your planned volume by that amount and rounds up to whole bags. Example only: 3 sq ft at 2 in implies 0.5 cu ft per bag; 90 sq ft at a chosen 3 in needs 45 bags before allowance. Your project depth may differ from the label depth. Approximate coverage gives an approximate volume; use a stated bag volume instead when available. No density is needed to count bags.
What is the difference between short tons and metric tonnes?
A US short ton is 2,000 lb; a metric tonne is 1,000 kg. Weight equals volume multiplied by the loose density in matching units. The weight result uses planned volume after allowance, not the supplier-rounded bulk order.
Can I enter a gravel price per ton?
Yes. Choose Per US short ton (2,000 lb) or Per metric tonne (1,000 kg), then enter the quote and your supplier’s loose density. Bulk material cost uses the weight of the supplier-adjusted bulk volume, after its cubic-yard minimum and increment, not the smaller planned-volume weight. Without density, the per-ton cost stays unknown. The price is cleared when you change its unit so an old quote is not silently relabelled.
Which units should I use in metric mode?
Enter horizontal measurements in metres, depth in centimetres and loose density in kg/m³. Known area uses m². Switching dimension units clears measurements and density. A bag label has its own square-foot/inch or square-metre/centimetre selector, which clears coverage and label depth when changed. Direct bag volume stays in cu ft; bulk minimums and increments stay in cu yd. Choose the bulk price unit explicitly; prices remain in USD.
Continue the project
Connect the quantity to the rest of the job
Use the landscape material calculator for mulch and mixed shapes, the pine straw calculator for whole bales, the sod calculator for rolls and pallets, the paver calculator for paver count, base gravel and bedding sand, the sand calculator for measured bedding, leveling or fill areas, or the grass seed calculator for seed pounds and whole packages. Use the installation cost calculator when labor and delivery belong in the budget.